Damien Hoyland extends Edinburgh Rugby contract

DUNCAN SMITH

YOUNG Edinburgh winger Damien Hoyland has become the latest Edinburgh player to commit his future to the club after extending his contract to May 2018.

The 22-year-old, who is in the team to face Agen in the European Challenge Cup at BT Murrayfield tonight, joined the club in 2014 and, after spending time with the sevens squad, has broken into Alan Solomons’ first team this season.

Hoyland was selected for Vern Cotter’s extended World Cup training squad and earned his first cap off the bench against Italy in Turin last summer.

Hoyland, who scored two tries in a man-of-the-match performance against Treviso last Friday, is the third contract extension in as many days, following on from Stuart McInally and Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, as Edinburgh work through the large number of players whose deals were due to run out at the end of the season.

Hoyland said: “Since joining the club in 2014, I haven’t wanted to go anywhere else.

“You can see how much the club’s developed over the last couple of years, we’re definitely heading in the right direction and it’s not a place you’d want to leave when we’re achieving all this good stuff.”

One of the increasing number of local youngsters breaking through at Edinburgh, the former James Gillespie’s high school pupil came to the game relatively late, encouraged by his elder rugby-playing brother – for whom he was best man last Saturday.

“I’m thankful to my big brother Darren for getting me into rugby,” Hoyland explained. “As soon as I got into it I knew I wanted to play at the highest level possible and go as far as I could.

“He was there to push me to where I wanted to be because he had faith in me to go far.”

Solomons added: “I am pleased that Damien has committed to the club.

“As a talented young Scottish player he epitomises our vision for Edinburgh.

“He is a pleasure to work with and I look forward to continue playing a part in his development.”